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In 1962, James Meredith became a civil rights hero when he enrolled as the first African American student at the University of Mississippi. Four years later, he would make the news again when he reentered Mississippi, on foot. His plan was to walk from Memphis to Jackson, leading a "March Against Fear" that would promote black voter registration and defy the entrenched racism of the region. But on the march's second day, he was shot by a mysterious gunman, a moment captured in a harrowing and now iconic photograph. What followed was one of the central dramas of the civil rights era. With Meredith in the hospital, the leading figures of the civil rights movement flew to Mississippi to carry on his effort. They quickly found themselves confronting southern law enforcement officials, local activists, and one another.



About the Author

Aram Goudsouzian

Aram Goudsouzian is Chair of the Department of History at the University of Memphis. He grew up in Winchester, Massachusetts. He earned his B.A. from Colby College and his Ph.D. from Purdue University. He is the author of "Down to the Crossroads: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Meredith March Against Fear," "King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution," "The Hurricane of 1938," and "Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon."



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